Opening Night — Friday — at the 46th annual Bridgeton Invitational Baseball Tournament, being held at Alden Field, located at 6 Burt Street, in Bridgeton, will find the National Anthem being sung by The Cumberlads, a local group of men from the greater Cumberland County area who sing in a capella.

Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly will throw out the ceremonial first pitch as Alex Deputron, former umpire associated with the tournament, having served as an umpire for the Bridgeton Invitational for 32 years, will be appropriately recognized.

This will be the first time area Little League teams will be recognized.

Salem Little Leaguers will take the field and be introduced.

Following these introductions by 6:30 p.m., Seabrook Storm will play Joyce's Stars in the first game, followed by Loboscio Concrete Pavers against Triple State Threat.

Admission is $3 for students/seniors 65+, $5 for adults and children 12 and under free.

Season passes are $25 in advance and can be purchased at the Bridgeton Recreation Center or Century Savings Bank on Cornwell Drive.

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Sam Feinstein photosIf you like spinning wheels, you will find them - large and small - at Potter's Tavern, which will be open to the public for guided tours this Sunday, from 1 until 4 p.m. The tours are free, although donations will be accepted. Potter's Tavern is located on Broad Street hill, across from the court house and jail.

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Did you know that former major leaguers Bobby Schantz, Stan Lopata and Granny Hamner played in the first Bridgeton Invitational?

Schantz won 24 games for the A's in 1952.

Fifteen years later, he was at Alden Field.

Did you know they played for Magnolia AC and finished second to Salem County and Ken Lang?

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Six people who have made significant contributions to enrich or better the lives of African Americans and their communities will be honored by The Bridgeton African American Union

Angela Jackson, Jordan Pierce, Karma Segers and Sean Carter Jr. will be receiving a stipend to assist them in furthering their education.

The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at Gia’s Catering,, 36 Mulford Drive, Bridgeton.

Tickets are $40 and will be available at the door.

For more information, call Simon Hadley at 856-297-2671 or Todd Edwards at 856-207-3070.

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Richie Kates had the fastest hands in the light heavyweight division in his day.

He fought at Atlantic City's Convention Hall when they had no showers there.

Victor Galindez, the man who ruined his dream of a world title, died a few years later in a car crash.

May 5, 1976:

"WBA light heavyweight champion Victor Galindez retained his title in Johannesburg via a 2:59 of the 15th round kayo over Richie Kates.

In a bout described by ringsiders as one of the most savage ever seen in South Africa, Galindez overcame the handicap of a gaping wound over his right eye (the wound, which gushed so profusely Galindez resorted to wiping it on referee Stan Christodolu's white shirt as the fight went on, later requiring seven stitches) to batter Kates with a frenzied array of punches, to have the Bridgeton boxer teetering in almost every round, to floor him in the 7th and, with 11 seconds remaining in the fight, to zero in with two paralyzing left hooks that nailed Kates on the bloody canvas for the full count, which was completed one second before the final bell rang." -

— International Boxing, October, 1976 issue

After a clash of heads in the 3rd round, referee Stanley Christodolu stopped the action in order to have a ringside doctor look at Galindez' wound.

However, the crowd of over 35,000 mistakenly thought the bout was
stopped in Kates' favor and it took almost 10 minutes to clear the ring
of spectators, reporters and photographers in order to resume the fight.

in 1980, Galíndez was forced to retire because of two operations to repair his detached retinas, and then he tried to pursue his other dream of becoming a stock-car race pilot.

On Oct. 25 of that year, he participated in what would be his first and last Turismo Carretera race.

After going to the pit for repairs, Galíndez was struck by a car that lost control and killed instantly while in the waiting area.

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Erik Cagle is planning for Elmer softball to replace West Cumberland as a dynasty in District 3, Section, 4, New Jersey and Eastern Regionals.

Meet him Saturday near the new fire house in Cedarville to see exactly how he’s going to achieve this.

Bring your wallet.

Obtain an autographed, color photo of him lacing a pitch in the Tri-Creek Softball League as Greenheads swarm the field.

A photo of him leading the Penns Grove High tennis team to a state title.

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Jim Six, who sits right next to us, plays Dodge's Market right on Route 40 Saturday night.

He not only plays great guitar, but writes a highly acclaimed Sunday column in our paper.

He has two kids — Oneoh and Twooh.

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You already know Donald Fauerbach was the greatest motorcycle racer of his time.

His cellar looks like a shrine with all the trophies.

Now he wants to teach you how to race a car on the big track at NJMP.

It’s for experienced drivers who want to have some great fun on a world-class track and sharpen their racing skills.

Contactl him at 856-327-7201 or dfauerbach@NJMP.com.

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Mike Trout went 0-for-3 with a walk in the Angels’ 4-1 loss to Kansas City Tuesday night.

He’s now hitting .354.

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From ESPN Dallas-Forth Worth:

Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington thinks it's time to tap the brakes on the comparisons being made of Los Angeles Angels rookie outfielder Mike Trout.

"He's not Willie Mays," Washington said after the Angels beat the Rangers 7-4 on Sunday night. "He's a pretty good player, but I think the comparisons have to stop. Let the kid play. When he's been here five years, six years, then you can start doing that."

Trout responded on Monday, saying, "I saw it on Twitter last night. I don't let that stuff affect me. You're always going to be compared to someone in this game and what people say doesn't really bother me."

Trout, who leads the American League in batting (.354), runs (70) and steals (31), went 5-for-10 with a home run and a triple in the three-game series against the Rangers, walking three times and scoring four runs.

Rangers starter Matt Harrison tried sneaking a 3-and-1 fastball past Trout to open the game, but the 20-year-old phenom clearly wasn't up there looking to walk.

Trout lined a triple to the right-field corner and scored on Albert Pujols' ground-rule double, crossing the plate for the 14th consecutive game — tying the AL rookie record and setting an Angels franchise mark, previously set by Jim Edmonds in 1995.

"When we have Trout on base, there's a pretty good chance that we're going to score," Pujols said.

Trout, who turns 21 in August, is trying to become the third-youngest player to win a batting title going back to 1900, trailing only Al Kaline and Ty Cobb, who both won batting titles at age 20.